How many golf courses are open in the US?
According to the National Golf Foundation, nearly every course in the U.S. is now open for play — and demand from golfers remains high.
What happens to golf courses when there are no golfers?
With fewer golfers paying to play the courses become unworkable, and ultimately, the homeowners surrounding courses are faced with the unknown. Through their HOAs, homeowners often engage in protracted, costly litigation to protect their backyard views and property values.
What happened to the maintenance budget for golf courses?
Out of necessity, maintenance budgets were frozen or cut at many golf courses while the cost of many inputs – e.g., plant protectants, water, equipment – continued to rise.
Is it ever too late to sue a golf course owner?
But it’s too little, too late in most cases, and the lawsuits simply add to the pain for both the course owner and the homeowners.
What are the most popular days for golf?
Which Weekday and Time? It should go without saying that Saturday and Sunday are the most popular days of the week for golf. Monday and Friday also have their fair share of risks of being busy.
Who owns a golf course?
Ownership. Municipal courses are owned and/or managed by the city, town or county. Public courses are owned by individuals, real estate development companies, partnerships or corporations. Public courses may be owned by one entity and managed by another.
What is the start of a golf course called?
The teeing areaThe teeing area is that starting point. The teeing area, as the name implies, is the one place on a golf course where you are allowed to "tee up" your ball — to place the golf ball on top of a tee, lifting it off the ground.
How long are golf courses usually?
On the PGA Tour, the average golf course length these days is around 7,200-7,300 yards. On the LPGA Tour, average golf course length is around 6,200 to 6,600 yards. On the Champions Tour for over-50 pros, average golf course length is around 6,500 to 6,800 yards.
How do golf courses make money?
Green fee play, memberships, food & beverage, and pro shop sales are the four main levers that can lead to an increase in revenue at a golf course. Of course, within each revenue stream, many specific opportunities exist for golf courses to produce more revenue.
Can you make money owning a golf course?
Profitable golf courses are generally selling for six to eight times EBITDA, while courses that aren't profitable tend to sell at 0.8 to 1.4 times revenue.
What is the first shot in golf called?
The first stroke, usually a pitch, a bunker shot or a chip, gets the ball 'up' onto the green, and the subsequent putt gets the ball 'down' into the hole. A variation is called “up and in”.
What is the best shot in golf called?
An ace, commonly known as a hole-in-one, is the best score out there. When you get an ace, that means you get to write a “1” on the scorecard.
Why are golf shots named after birds?
Used to score one under par. It began to be used in 1899 in New Jersey. It turns out that on one game day, three golfers were playing when one of them, on his second stroke, hit a bird in flight with the ball and it landed very, very close to the hole. The teammates said it was a stroke of luck for a 'birdie'.
What is the world's largest golf course?
From the tips, Erin Hills -- the site of this year's U.S. Open -- spans over 7,800 yards.
What does an average golfer shoot?
What is the average golf score? An average golf score is 90 strokes for every 18 holes played. This score applies to an amateur golfer playing on a par 72 course. A good golf score is a maximum of 108 strokes, while a bad score is considered to be 120 strokes or higher.
How many acres is a par 3 hole?
A short par 3 course can be built on as little as 25 acres, while a full-length elite course can require up to 140 acres of land. But the land requirements vary based on your location, size of course, and the difficulty of the course.
What are the benefits of living in a golf community?
One of the top benefits (or detriments, depending on if you are the buyer or the seller) of living in a golfing community is the higher level of property value, property quality and demand.
What is intent in a golf case?
In most cases such as this, intent is the key word (after locating the golfers responsible, of course). In many such cases, the plaintiff must prove that the golfer intentionally hit their ball into a homeowner’s property.
When did golf balls cause a lawsuit?
A court case in the early 1990s illustrates perfectly the difficulties homeowners have in recouping damages caused by golf balls. In 1992, three homeowners on the sixth hole of the Gold Course at Dallas Athletic Club filed suit after stray golf balls damaged their homes and vehicles.
Do golf courses have higher perceived value?
Within a golf course community, certain homes may have a higher perceived value than others by perspective buyers as well, as homeowners may prefer homes with certain views of the golf course or specific locations. “Many buyers come to me looking for a golf course lot,” said Cindy O’Gorman, one of the nation’s top realtors.
Is it rare to get injured by a golf ball?
While incidents of individuals being seriously injured by a wayward golf ball are extremely rare, broken windows and beat up grass is much more common. Another big concern is privacy. To say it plainly – if you live on a golf course, you won’t have any.
Is it good to live on a golf course?
There are so many wonderful advantages to living on a golf course or in a golf course community – from the high property values and quality school districts that usually are nearby, to the other community amenities and golf at your fingertips, living on a golf course is living the dream. Of course, it isn’t always fun and games, ...
Do you need a driver's license to play golf in Arizona?
Many public courses around the country – especially in tourist-rich golf areas such as Arizona and California – will offer severely discounted rates and green fees to residents to promote more local play. Usually all they require is a driver’s license the proves your residence.
How often should I water my golf course?
As with mowing, rough areas and fairways are more drought-tolerant than greens, which, in dry, hot weather, need to be watered at least every day or two.
How often should I mown my golf greens?
Greens typically need to be mown at least once every three days. Without that regular tending, they become overgrown. Getting them back up to speed is tough.
How often should I mowing my fairways?
Though fairways can be left to grow longer than greens, they still need mowing at least once a week, Moeller says. Without the staff or budget to do that mowing, superintendents will raise the fairway mowing height, which, of course, results in shaggier landing areas and less pristine lies.
Is it hard to maintain a golf course?
It takes hard work to make a golf course perfect, and even a momentary lapse in course maintenance judgement (or budget) can cause major issues. If you think it’s gotten hard to maintain your golf game, consider what it’s like to maintain a golf course. Strapped by reduced budgets and skeleton staffing, many superintendents have been facing painful ...
Why are golf courses removed from the Southwest?
Out of necessity, many courses in the Southwest removed maintained rough in peripheral areas to cut down on water usage and save money. For years, golf courses have also replaced mown rough with naturalized or unmown rough.
What is the most frequently mowed area of golf courses?
Putting greens are the most frequently mowed area of golf courses and the associated costs are significant. Mower technology has improved to the point where triplex units can produce a quality of cut equivalent to that of walk-behind mowers.
How does failing to invest affect golf?
Failing to invest in improvements and upgrades may also affect how golfers perceive a facility. Golf is a competitive business, and golfers are more likely to play at golf courses that demonstrate a commitment to quality by making improvements.
How did the recession affect golf?
These effects are not surprising given the challenges created by an oversupply of golf courses that is partially the product of the aging golfer demographic and declining participation rates among younger generations. Furthermore, extended periods of severe drought have increased the price of water and limited its availability for golf courses.
What was the effect of the recession on golf courses?
The good news is that the recession caused golf facilities to re-evaluate maintenance practices, presentation options and course amenities. Many golf courses were forced to differentiate between essential and nonessential maintenance programs so they could focus on what matters most.
Is golf course maintenance competitive?
Golf course maintenance work is demanding and the labor market is very competitive. Recruiting and retaining reliable maintenance staff is currently one of the biggest challenges at golf facilities across the country. Additionally, there are many hidden costs associated with hiring and training new maintenance employees.
Did golf courses have enough liquid capital?
Some courses obtained terrific deals on capital expenditures during the worst of the recession. Unfortunately, many courses simply did not have enough liquid capital to take advantage of the reduced pricing offered by golf course contractors.
What is a pro golfer?
A PGA club pro is responsible for the golf course's day-to-day operations. Duties include organizing and communicating tee time policies, working out the details of club competitions and tournaments -- both among the members and for outside corporate groups -- insuring a good pace of play by training and supervising starters and monitors, and supervising other members of the golf staff.
What is a PGA pro?
Instructor. A PGA club pro is trained to be an excellent instructor. She must be able to relate to golfers of differing ages, genders, abilities and personalities. Many excellent teachers and coaches come from the ranks of PGA club pros, and they sometimes branch out and become full-time instructors and coaches.
How much water has the Water Authority paid out to golf courses?
The Water Authority has paid out more than $25 million to area golf courses to remove upwards of 1,000 acres of turfgrass, nearly 20% of all golf-course property in the area. This has conserved billions of gallons of water.
How many golf courses are there in Las Vegas?
There aren’t even any cactus, just desert scrub like creosote, plus some cholla and Joshua trees. These contrasts clash on the Las Vegas area’s 56 golf courses, according to a recent count. A sizable percentage of the tens of millions of annual visitors to Las Vegas come here primarily to play golf on some of the finest courses in the country.
How much does a golf course in Vegas pay for water?
It’s not uncommon for Vegas golf courses to pay $1 million or more a year just for water. Next to labor, water’s the most expensive item in a course’s maintenance budget. In fact, conservation efforts have been so successful that the golf courses now use only 7% of the city’s total water consumption — less than the casinos.
Is golf course watering high tech?
Golf course watering is very high-tech, thanks to centrally controlled irrigation systems with their own on-site weather stations tied to the irrigation computer (so that watering is based on localized evapotranspiration data).
Where is the Black Course?
His best layout accessible to the public is the infamous Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York. Obsessed golfers regularly sleep in their cars to get a tee time for the next morning. Bethpage Black, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, is a tribute to the "Golden Age" of golf course design.
What is the best golf course in the world?
The "good doctor" is famous for laying out three of the best golf courses in the world: Cypress Point Club, Augusta National and Royal Melbourne. One course that is often overlooked is Pasatiempo, where MacKenzie spent the last years of his life (he had a home right off the sixth hole). This par-70 layout might be the longest 6,500-yard course on the planet. A number of holes play uphill, and MacKenzie's trademark "finger" bunkers and undulated greens are featured throughout the round.
What golf courses did Tom Hanks design?
As one of the preeminent golf course architects of the early 20th century, he designed such notable courses as Oakland Hills Country Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Seminole Golf Club and Inverness Club. But Pinehurst No. 2, which will host the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open in 2014, is widely considered to be his legacy.
Who is the best golfer of all time?
Jack Nicklaus. While the Golden Bear is arguably the best golfer of all time, his course designs are a constant subject to criticism -- especially his earlier designs. They were described as too hard and demanded players to play a number of high fades -- Nicklaus' trademark shot.
